067. VI. Messages Of Consolation
VI MESSAGES OF CONSOLATION 1. An Earnest of Ultimate Restoration (32)
Symbolic purchase of land (Jeremiah 32:1-15). During the final siege of Jerusalem, while Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard-house, his cousin visited him, with the request that he purchase a certain part of the family estate at Anathoth. Recognizing in this demand a divinely given opportunity for impressing his prophetic message in the presence of many witnesses, he caused a formal bill of transfer to be drawn up, and paid the stipulated sum, although the land was already in the possession of the besieging Babylonians. Then he gave command to Baruch to store away the deed where it would be preserved for many years. “For,” as he added, “Jehovah has revealed to me that land in Judah shall again possess a marketable value.”
Prayer for further assurance (Jeremiah 32:16-25). After the transaction had been completed, Jeremiah prayed this prayer: “O Creator and Ruler of the universe, merciful and just, all-wise and all-powerful, faithfully didst thou lead thy people in the past They, alas! sinned so grievously against thee that their present woes are but their just deserts. What, therefore, O Lord, is the full significance of thy command to me to buy this land which already is in the hands of relentless foes?”
Jehovah’s answer (Jeremiah 32:26-44). Then Jehovah strengthened Jeremiah’s wavering faith, declaring: “Do you think, O prophet, that there is anything too difficult for me, the supreme ruler of mankind, to accomplish? True, I will give the city over to the Babylonians, and they shall completely destroy it as a just punishment for the apostasy and persistent idolatry of its inhabitants. I will not, however, forget my people, but will gather them from the lands of their captivity, and cause them peaceably to inhabit those very cities which are now being laid desolate. More than that, they shall then unite in giving me their sincere and reverential worship. Then also will I enter into a solemn covenant with them, promising to establish them permanently in the land, and to bestow upon them all the blessings which my loving heart suggests. Then, throughout all the territory of Judah, men shall again buy and sell the land now wasted by Babylonian armies, giving written contracts even as you have just done.”
2. The Bright Future beyond the Dark Present (Jeremiah 33:1-13)
Reiterated assurances of restoration (Jeremiah 33:1-13). On another occasion, while Jeremiah was still confined in the court of the guard-house, he received a second message of promise from Jehovah: “Useless are the frantic efforts of the men of Jerusalem to defend their tottering capital. Their bodies shall form a ghastly rampart about the doomed city. For a time I will give it up to judgment, but when war has done its purifying work I will rebuild and repeople it, and reveal to its inhabitants ideals of peace and righteousness undreamed of before. I will gather the scattered captives of Judah and Israel, and will establish them on their native soil, as in the days of the united kingdom. I will pardon the sin of the past, and remove its evil effects from their character. Then will my name be honored among all people, because they shall see the glorious restoration of this city and land which I shall have accomplished. Instead of the present wails of despair, songs of thanksgiving shall rise to me from the lips of the happy, contented people whom I shall bring back to inhabit Jerusalem and the now desolate towns of Judah.”
3. Glories of the Restoration Contrasted with the Present Humiliation (Jeremiah 30:1 to Jeremiah 31:28)
Prophecies to be fulfilled in the future (Jeremiah 30:1-3). During the closing years of Jeremiah’s activity, after Jerusalem had been captured and destroyed, the divine command came to him to collect his various prophecies respecting the future of his nation and preserve them in written form; for it was Jehovah’s unchangeable purpose yet to bring back his exiled people to the land of their fathers.
Present terror to be succeeded by future peace (Jeremiah 30:4-11). These are the extracts from his sermons concerning Israel and Judah, which the prophet preserved: “True, terror now chills every heart. Fear blanches the faces of strong men. Never has the Jewish race experienced such calamities as at the present; but it shall not last forever. Jehovah will break the galling yoke of the conqueror, and deliver his people from their painful servitude. In the coming days, again united under a king of the royal house of David, they shall serve Jehovah. Fear not, therefore, O chosen race, called to perform a service for your God, since you have his assurance that he will destroy the nations who now hold you as captives, and that he will surely preserve you, after completing the purifying and educating process to which you are now subjected.
Present wounds and anguish, future healing and joy (Jeremiah 30:12-22). “Piteous is your present condition, with no champion to plead your cause, and no ally to help you. The disasters, however, which have fallen upon you, come at the command of Jehovah as a punishment for your persistence in sin. The tables shall soon be turned, and those who oppress you shall themselves feel the pains of conquest and captivity, while you shall be restored to Canaan. Out of its ruins another Jerusalem shall rise which shall equal the ancient city. Songs of thanksgiving and peals of laughter shall again be heard within these now ruined walls, while through its deserted streets shall surge a large and proud populace. The Hebrews will again be united under a ruler of their own race. Being chosen by Jehovah, he will know the divine will and worthily execute it. Then, O outcasts, you will be again in the old sense Jehovah’s people. The aim of the present judgment will be understood later (Jeremiah 30:23-24). “In that same glorious day you will at last appreciate the true significance of the present experiences and the principles which rule God’s universe. Jehovah’s judgment falls when it is deserved. Its aim is to discipline. When that end is accomplished, and not before, will your affliction cease.
Restoration of the northern Israelites (Jeremiah 31:1-9). “In the coming years, when Jehovah’s gracious purpose shall be realized, all surviving Israelites, united, shall again be known as his people. From the earliest days of their history, his love toward them has ever been strong and constant. As in those innocent days of Israel’s youth, he will again give her cause for merriment. On the long-deserted hills of Samaria, vineyards shall be planted. From hill to hill the watchmen shall send forth the cry, ‘Let us go down to worship at Jehovah’s sanctuary in Jerusalem!’ He will gather his scattered people from far and near. No physical infirmity shall prevent them from coming at his call. A sad but hopeful throng will he lead back, making easy and attractive the way for their weary feet; for his love for his people is like that of a father for a child. In this universal restoration, the northern Israelites will not be overlooked, for Jehovah has not forgotten that in the earlier days they were the strongest and most prominent of the Hebrew race. The restored and united Hebrew race shall again enjoy peace and plenty (Jeremiah 31:10-14). “Let the whole world know that he, like a shepherd, will assemble those whom he has scattered so widely. Slaves though they are, he will secure their liberation. Leaving their sorrows behind, they shall return to enjoy undisturbed the rich products of Canaan and the social and religious privileges which it affords.
Pardon for the repentant northern Israelites (Jeremiah 31:15-22). “Jehovah has heard the bitter cries of lamentation which have for nearly a century and a half gone up from faithful northern Israelites because the citizens of their once powerful nation are either dead or scattered to the four winds. At last let them be comforted and refrain from weeping, for their prayers shall be answered in the return of the captives. Through all the long years, while they have felt themselves crushed under the ban of Jehovah’s displeasure, he has been disciplining them. Now that they are truly repentant, the love and compassion which go out toward them from the heart of the Eternal will find expression in acts of restoration and blessing. The way is open for you to return, O exiles, if you will. Come back, wayward people, to your cities. Fear no more dangers, for under Jehovah’s strong protecting care the men will be able to devote themselves undisturbed to their daily tasks, while the women will suffice to guard them from all attacks.
Conditions when the restoration shall be realized (Jeremiah 31:23-28). “When Jehovah has restored his people to the cities of Judah, as of old, they shall make pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the site of the temple of the God of justice and holiness. The hearts now hungering shall be satisfied with peace and plenty. As I came back to the dread present, my prophetic soul was enraptured by the visions of the blessings in store for my race. With them came the assurance from Jehovah that, as he up to the present had devoted himself to destroying and uprooting the two Hebrew kingdoms, so henceforth he would restore and guard them.”
4. The New Covenant between Jehovah and his People (Jeremiah 31:29-40)
Responsibility of the individual (Jeremiah 31:29-30). In the new era, which is soon to dawn, the old fallacy that men are morally responsible for the sins of their ancestors, or for those of the community, will be disproved. No longer will the individual be able to avoid the consequences of his own crimes, but each shall be rewarded according to his acts. The new covenant within the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Jehovah will also establish a new covenant with his restored people. It shall not be an external compact between himself and the nation collectively, like that which was established when he led the Israelites forth from Egypt, and which they have broken, but a personal covenant between himself and the individual. Then the laws which formulate Jehovah’s demands, to which the nations solemnly subscribe, shall be written, not upon stones, but indelibly impressed upon the minds of each faithful Israelite. Thus shall the close, confidential relationship between Jehovah and his people be re-established. Since the divine law will be impressed upon the mind of every one, it shall no longer be necessary to impart it by public and private instruction. All, the humblest as well as the noblest, shall know the will of the Lord, and shall be personally conscious of having received his full forgiveness.